Forbidden Bear

Bear Bear

(Book One)

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Note from the author:My books are written, produced and edited in the UK where spellings and word usage can vary from U.S. English. The use of quotes in dialogue and other punctuation can also differ.

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All rights reserved. This book, or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written consent of the author or publisher.

This is a work of fiction and is intended for mature audiences only. All characters within are eighteen years of age or older. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, actual events or places is purely coincidental.

Chapter One – Mia

“You’re sure he’s meeting us here?” Mia walked back to where she had left her motorbike, and made sure her look conveyedexactlywhat would happen to Traff if his information were wrong.

“Yes. My informant told me that he would be here with the money at eleven.” He looked at his watch nervously. All of her men knew what to expect if they messed up. Mia had learned to act first, ask questions later. It was the only way to stay in control. And that control was vital if she wanted to keep her head above the trash heap Wolf Valley had become.

With no alpha male, things had gotten worse, a lot worse, in the last six months. If she hadn’t been president of the Wolf Valley MC, her family would have found themselves in debt, all thanks to her stupid brother Kurt. He had pulled some stunt that had been enough to get any other family exiled from Wolf Valley. By taking over his position as president, she had retained some status for her family, and that had kept her mom from having to move out of the only home she had ever known.

Not that Mia would have minded. Wolf Valley was not the kind of home she wanted, and she was so happy she hadn’t found her mate, although it went against everything in her nature. But no mate meant no bringing a pup into the mixed-up town she called home.

“There,” Traff hissed. “I told you he would bring the money. Now we do the exchange and go home.”

“And you’re sure this informant is reliable?” Mia asked, hating having to rely on Traff, but the last deal for their merchandise had fallen through and she was desperate to offload it. They needed the money for another shipment.

“I was told he would be here with the cash, and there he is.” Traff’s voice sounded defensive, but also carried an undercurrent of nerves. Which made Mia nervous too.

She peered into the night; this area had no lighting, which was why it was often used as a meeting place. It was out of town, on a back road that led nowhere: ideal if you didn’t want to be seen. Especially by the law. Still, they were doing nothing illegal; their merchandise was nothing bad, not like drugs or guns, but it was a little grey, in so much as she wasn’t sure exactly where the phones had come from.

The other thing that made her nervous about this place was that, strictly speaking, it was bear territory. Yes, just one minor detail: it was right on the outskirts of Bear Creek, rarely used, as there was no through road; it just led to a dirt track. But territory was territory.

“Let’s get this done quickly,” Mia said, taking the bag of phones and heading over to the man lurking further down the road. She kept her helmet on; it always went more smoothly when the guys she was trading with thought they were dealing with a man. It was the reason she was going to let Traff do the talking. Although her tight leathers emphasised her curvy body enough that if it was light enough, she would be instantly recognisable as a woman.

“Do you have it?” Traff asked the man.

“All of it, right here.” The guy held up a bag, Mia tried to gauge whether it contained the right amount of cash or whether they were being set up. Something was making her wolf nervous, maybe it was just the place; it stank of bears.

“Mind if I check?” Traff asked, although for once, Mia would happily have taken the cash and run. Something was off. She felt as though they were being watched.

Raising her head she sniffed the air, trying to work out what exactly was setting her alarm bells ringing. She was vaguely aware of Traff taking the bag of money and placing it down on the ground. He unzipped it, and that was when the ambush came.

Out of the trees ran five men, intending to circle her and Traff. However, her men, who had stayed by their bikes, leapt forward, ready to take on the stinking bears. For a moment Mia froze. What the hell was wrong with her? She could fight as well as any of her men, if not better. She was fast and experienced, having been brought up with a bunch of males.

As a young girl, it hadn’t taken her long to understand that if you didn’t behave like one of the boys, you got treated like shit. So instead of spending her life being subservient to them, she had taken them on one by one and beaten them to the floor. Begrudgingly, they had let her run with them, until it got to a time where they thought of her as a male. And that suited Mia just fine.

Raising her fists, she stood back to back with Traff while her men approached. They were about even, five against five. Turning, she tried to pick out which of the bears she was going to take on, and beat.

However, a prickle started at the nape of her neck and moved down along her spine. It sent a mixture of sensations in its wake.An adrenaline rush, that was all. But she was lying to herself and she knew it. Mia had heard enough tales of what it was like to meet your mate for the first time to know that was exactly the feeling she was getting.

Turning once more, she tried to hone in on which of these clowns was the one fate had chosen for her. What kind of stupid joke was this? She didn’t have to look too hard; of course, it had to be the one staring at her, mouth open like an idiot. Well. She would show him.

With a roar, she threw herself at him, getting a first punch in to the side of his head before he could react. But when he did, it was like an explosion of testosterone. He snarled in shock, saving himself the indignity of falling flat on his face by sticking his hand out to break his fall. Then he sprang back towards her.

Mia was struggling with the feelings inside her; they were at war. She had just hit her mate. Struck him hard, when you were not supposed to hurt your true mate. That was one thing she would fight with every ounce of her being. Being the mate of a wolf was one thing, but being the mate of a bear, he would have her chained to the kitchen sink, or more likely the bed, so that he could rut with her whenever he wanted.

Not happening. Yet her body said otherwise.

Uncertainty flooded her. This was one thing she could not control, couldn’t fight. Mia decided to do what no self-respecting wolf would ever do. She ran.

Into the trees she went, fast, sure-footed. She would turn into her wolf and be out of there before he knew it. A great lumbering bear would never catch her. But he seemed to be already attuned to her actions and was so close behind her as they entered the trees, she felt his fingers on her leather jacket, his touch like a stun gun, knocking her to the floor.

Cursing, she tried to breathe, but her helmet stifled her. She reached up to undo it whilst scrambling to her feet. Risking a glance behind her, she saw their touch had made him falter too, but not for long enough.

Fumbling fingers finally undid the strap. She flung it away and propelled herself forward. Her wolf was there, waiting. And then it betrayed her. She couldn’t change; it wouldn’t come to her. In a gasp of recognition, she realised it wanted to be caught, wanted to be mated to this brute of a bear.

Mia had never tasted defeat; in everything she had done, she had always endured and succeeded. Today, as his hands closed around her arms and pulled her back to him, she knew that her life was about to change forever. There was no way to outrun your fate. And all six foot four inches of her fate was about to stake his claim.

Damn, she hated her life.

Chapter Two – Joel

Kicking and clawing, she fought until she had nothing left in her. When he at last managed to pin her hands above her head, the weight of his body pressing down to curtail her legs, she was sobbing. And he didn’t mean with joy.

“Lay still, I’m not going to hurt you.” He might not intend to hurt her, but damn if he didn’t want to strip her clothes off and mate with her right here underneath the trees. His adrenaline was pumping and his bear was clamouring for him to take her, make her his, and stop her fighting this thing between them.

Unfortunately, his mate didn’t want to play by the rules.

“Let me go, you big stinking brute.”Flattering. Joel had definitely showered earlier, but she was right about one thing, he was big … and hard, oh so very hard,for her.

“If I let you up, will you give me your word you won’t run? Or scratch my eyes out? If I didn’t know better, I would think you were a wildcat, not a wolf. That is what you are, right? A mangy wolf.”

“Son-of-a-bitch,” she said, struggling against him.

“That was a joke, honey. But I see you have no sense of humour in the same way you have no manners.” He loosened the grip on her hands and slowly sat up, shifting his weight so he sat astride her. She could use her hands, but she wouldn’t be running anywhere.

For a moment he thought she was going to punch him in the jaw. Her fist curled up, and he saw the glint in her eyes as she took her aim. Then she let herself relax. Well, at least she was smart enough to know that physically, she would never beat him. Unless she used her feminine wiles, and oh, did she have plenty of those.

Even in the darkness, he could see the voluptuous curve of her breasts, hidden under tight leather. Damn, how he wanted to unzip her and let her spill out into his eager hands.Later. He calmed his bear.

“So what happens now, you hit me over the head and carry me back to your den?” she asked, her contempt hardly concealed.

He laughed, which didn’t improve her mood. “You have me mixed up with a cave bear, and I most definitely am not one of those.” He leaned down, taking a scent of her. Seductive. “What do you want to happen?”

She placed her hand on his cheek, moving her face towards his and he was sure she took a good draw of his scent too. He could smell her arousal; it tickled his nose and made his mouth water. Oh, for just one taste of her. He licked his lips and she drew closer. Reeling him in.

“What’s your name, bear?”

“Joel. Yours?”

“Mia,” she said, and he wondered if she had lied.

“Pretty.” His eyes flicked down to her lips, and he moved closer, waiting for that first electric moment when they would seal their bond.